Gazprom: Fighting the fracking revolution

Published: January 2013 · Publisher: MarketLine

Gazprom is facing the possibility of losing its dominant position in the European market. Hydraulic fracturing has the potential to facilitate countries developing a domestic source of natural gas from what was previously thought to be ...

Gazprom is facing the possibility of losing its dominant position in the European market. Hydraulic fracturing has the potential to facilitate countries developing a domestic source of natural gas from what was previously thought to be unviable, gas formations. Should substantial natural gas reserves be found in European territories, Gazprom’s domination could be significantly eroded.

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Highlights

Gazprom is the world leader in terms of natural gas production, having produced 513.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in financial year 2011, equating to approximately 17% of global production. Gazprom, however, remains publically opposed to hydraulic fracturing as an extraction technique due to environmental concerns over the method.
Hydraulic fracturing, while controversial regarding its effects on the environment, has transformed the American energy sector by allowing companies to access gas formations, previously though unviable, and so put large quantities of low cost, natural gas on the market.
While hydraulic fracturing has been banned in some countries, Poland is actively exploring its unconventional gas reserves. Estimates suggest Poland has the potential to become self-sufficient in natural gas and may even be able to export in the future, which would significantly alter the European energy market and erode Gazproms market domination.

Your key questions answered

* How would the introduction of hydraulic fracturing effect Gazprom's revenue stream
* To what extent does Gazprom dominate the European energy market
* How would the widespread introduction of hydraulic fracturing alter the European energy market